University of Toronto: Centre for Applied Mathematics - YouTube

The power of the human mind, to not just guess but to say with certainty that something is

true, that’s magical.

Kumar Murty: At its core, it does basic research.

Basic research meaning how mathematics can be used in some of the major application areas,

thrust areas like fluid dynamics, or imaging, or big data or cybersecurity.

Mary Pugh: It’ll be a place where you can have accidental encounters and accidental

conversations with people, because you’re in the same space so there’s a lot of opportunity

for serendipity.

Kumar: The point is that by having a place where important research being done, conducted

regularly in that place, you do two things: firstly, it’s a place where new ideas are

emanating, so you’re creating new mathematics.

Secondly, it’s a pipeline, it’s a training ground.

So, students are coming in and learning from the practitioners, from the best people in

the field, what’s going on in these disciplines.

Jeremy Quastel: I think that most people don’t realize just how much and how sophisticated

mathematics goes into the development of new products, and how much of a competition there

is in the world right now.

If you’re not the ones who have the best math and the best technology... it’s winner

take all nowadays.

David Fairman: There will be a day where there won’t be brick and mortar banks.

As we’re operating in that digital economy, in that electronic world, we need to make

sure that our transactions are secure, our financial position is secure, and our personal

information is secure.

Without the capabilities that we will be building, that we will researching in the Centre for

Applied Mathematics, that’s all compromised.

I think about those future problems and this is where the Centre for Applied Mathematics

is going to help.

Luis Seco: You have to compete at a global scale, and ideas is what drives businesses

forward.

We are changing away from a physical space to a mental space.

Innovation, businesses, now succeed in a mental space.

This is the space that we dominate.

This is where math lives.

Colin Graham: We need the Centre for Applied Mathematics because we need to apply the research

and the mathematics inherent in research to solve real world problems.

From my perspective, given the green tech space we’re in to great extent, that means

reducing the energy demand in the millions of buildings that make up our urban context.

And, just the enormity of that task, can only be solved mathematically.

Luis: We need the Centre for Applied Math because the world is changing very fast, and

we don’t want to be left behind.

Jeremy: We could develop, in Toronto, the world leading high tech.

It’s just a question of the world.

David: Maybe it’s not about financial gain.

But it’s about gains in health care, or gains in education for our children and the

next generations.

That’s a great thing to be a part of.

Luis: The future comes from the future generations, comes from the children.

They need access to this kind of math.

They need a new role model for what mathematics means to them.

We need to do that for their benefit.

Kumar: Math is not magic as some people think it is, but nevertheless it is magical.